Since our ancient sealed beam headlights don't actually put out any light I searched for an alternative. I had an '07 Wrangler which also had 7" round headlights and upgraded them to H4 bulbs which made a HUGE difference over stock. While looking for a good quality housing I found the Bosch 7" glass housings on sale at busdepot.com for $44.95 without bulbs. Shipping ran me $11. I can't wait to get them installed, though I'm going to order the upgraded harness from Bronco Graveyard first. I just figured I would share this with everyone, I imagine these Bosch housings will be of much higher quality than most. I'll update when they arrive. Now to figure out which bulbs to use!

Bosch European H4 Headlights - PAIR

 

Good to know in the future, but I bought Silverstar sealed beam headlights at the parts store and they're just as bright as my wife's '02 Olds Aurora.

 

Keep in mind these are euro spec lights = not US DOT approved & therefore illegal on the road here. Not that you'd ever really get caught as who would look at them & check, but it's worth clarifying for people just in case.

 

The HELLA ones are great quality also...I have them in my '73.

 

**** it, if I upgrade I'm retrofitting these bitches:

Amazon.com: Pair 7" HID Xenon Off Road Light Offroad Fog Driving Lights for SUV Jeep ATV UTV: Automotive

 

There really is no comparison to H4s, even my '04 Crown Vic headlights suck in comparison. Well, they just suck period.

 

these look crappy. Sealed Beam HID Headlight Conversion Kits - 7" Round | eBay

 

these are pretty. I'll just get some of these when I feel like upgrading. 7" YELLOW RALLY FOG HEADLIGHTS SEMI SEALED BEAM HALOGEN HEADLAMP H4 LIGHTS BULBS | eBay
My stock sealed beams are probably 10 or 20 years old they barely light up 10 feet in front of the truck. New ones aren't that much brighter. Can't imagine road trips 40 years ago with sealed beam lights, bias ply tires, no ABS, drum brakes... points ignition... whew.

 

When I was a teenager I had a '93 RamCharger 4x4 with sealed beams, so I replaced the lights with Siverstars because they were supposedly so much better. They still sucked. The H4s I put in my Wrangler however, were impressive. I'm still figuring out which bulbs I'm going to use in my '78.

 

I used the square version of these with a 6K HID kit. They are nice and bright, and the throw is really good too. Aim them right, and people won't get pissed at you.

Sealed Beam Housing H6024 - 7" Round - EFX - Euro Effects // Advanced Ride Technology

6K HID on pass. side vs H4 "super bright" (what it says on the package). Both on low beam


HID vs stock sealed beam halogen



-Jameson

 

Since this is covering the topic of the "other" headlights in general now I'll add JBG has a 7" H4 kit as well. No experience with it and about double the original link ones, but might be worth looking at.

Personally I'm using H4 housings and running the HIDs in them as well.

 

The HIDs are nice, but I'm concerned about burning down my truck with them. I'm a federal LEO, and my agency regularly seizes imports of the Chinese HID kits because the DOT has determined they pose a safety risk as the ballasts can burn up. I figure with the H4s, they are quality parts from Europe and don't pose the safety risk.

 

So that's why they started the seizures of the chinese kits. Knew they started grabbing them but no article I saw said why.

 

I thought it was because they didn't comply with DOT regs. Most vehicles that didn't come with oem projectors for HID's have terrible patterns with HID's. Not saying you won't be able to see better, but they will blind oncoming traffic.

 

I'll see if I can find the article (if it's for general dissemination) and post it up.